I’m fairly certain that this is one of the first dishes that my mom taught me how to cook. It’s incredibly simple to make, yet you learn a few basics throughout the process, such as how to cook minced meat but most importantly when you’re Dutch, how to boil potatoes and mash them.
Only a couple of times a year am I craving mashed potato and the colder weather definitely adds to this craving. Just like my mom’s Macaroni, this is great comfort food. I also believe that this was the sole way that my parents could get my brother to eat vegetables when we were young. Beets are always a great ingredient to use when trying to get your kid to eat more healthy. They are soft and sweet, and have a tremendously gorgeous deep red colour.
After layering all the separate ingredients; the beets, meat, and potatoes, the dish goes in to the oven to get a wonderfully crisp top layer. It’s amazing.
Don’t get scared because of the amount of the ingredients, it may seem like a lot, but trust me it’s not. If you want, you can half everything to try that first.
Tip: make this ahead and pop it in the oven when you’re ready to eat!
Beet and Mashed Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 500 grams minced meat
- 1,5 kilo peeled potatoes
- 1,3 kilo sliced red beets (we buy them from our supermarket brand in a glass can)
- 2 onions
- Pepper and salt
- Milk and butter
- Breadcrumbs
- Optional: raw onions and applesauce
Used kitchen appliances
- Oven
- Oven dish (or one larger and one smaller one)
- 3 pans
Preparation
- Preheat the grill to 200C.
- Place the potatoes in the pan and fill with water until they are all covered. Bring to a boil, and let boil for about 15-20 minutes. If you can poke through the potatoes easily, they’re done.
- In the other pan, heat some olive oil and add the minced meat. Roughly chop the onions and add to the meat. Let it bake until the meat is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In the third pan, slowly heat the beets.
- Once the potatoes are done, take off the heat and drain the water. With a potato masher, mash the potatoes. Add milk and butter to your liking. Butter to make the mash more creamy, and milk for more creaminess and to thin the puree slightly.
- In the oven dish, place the beets. Follow with the meat, and finish with the potato. You can leave this with some tin foil if you’re making ahead.
- Sprinkle over some breadcrumbs, place the dish in the oven and let it grill for about 5 minutes or until the top layer is browned and crispy.
- Serve with raw chopped onions and applesauce.
Basil and Oil 